Chapter Twenty-Three
Hatch
IT WAS LATE afternoon when the sound of unfamiliar pipes pulled my attention away from work, so I left my office and went outside to find half a dozen riders parking their bikes. It was Hendo and a handful of ex-Spiders and on the back of Hendo’s bike was his son.
“You brought me some prospects,” I said.
“I’m a man of my word,” Hendo replied. “These guys are ready to earn your club’s trust. They want to ride and they want to provide for their families. They’re all hard workers, and I trust them.”
I shook each of their hands, looking them straight in the eye. Learning everything I could from my base instinct impression of each man.
“And of course, I remember young Kieran.”
“He said your guys call him Jester,” Hendo said as they got off their bikes.
“Jester, huh?”
“Yes, sir.” Kieren nodded toward Rooster. “Hey, Rooster.”
“Hey, bud,” Rooster said.
“Alright then, Jester,” I continued. “What brings you to our clubhouse?”
He puffed out his chest. “I want to prospect, too.”
“Nice try, kid,” Hendo said, facing me. “He’s too young to ride or prospect, but he’s smart and he’s got good hands. If it’s mechanical, he can find his way around it, ya know? I’d like him to be around some guys he can learn from and know that he’s not gonna be anyone’s bagman on the side.”
I gave Kieran’s dad a nod and turned to the kid. “Rooster and Train said you handled your business when the shit went down at the clinic. How come you helped my guys instead of your dad’s club members?”
“That lady, Rooster’s girl, looked really scared, and I just knew what Ratcatcher and Ripper were doing was wrong, ya know?
Plus, Rooster and Train were hella cool to me.
Even when you guys busted me following you, you didn’t fuck with me or anything.
You treated me with respect even when I was kinda acting like a punk. ”
“They helped him with a girl,” Hendo said with a chuckle. “Good wingmen, apparently.”
Rooster grinned, watching Jester closely.
“Yeah, that sounds like them,” I said, before addressing Jester once more. “Do you know what an apprentice is?”
Jester nodded.
“Tell me what you know.”
“An apprentice sits at the feet of a master to, like, study and learn shit from them.”
“Aristotle couldn’t have said it better. So, what would you say if I offered you an apprenticeship with the Dogs of Fire MC? You could hang around the garage, help the guys out, wrench on some bikes. Of course, you’d have to keep your grades up, and put your schoolwork first, but what do you say?”
“Yeah,” Jester said, enthusiastically. “That’d be sweet.”
“Alright, good. Now, go on in there and get yourself some grub. I wanna talk to these guys for a minute. There’s plenty of food and sodas inside.”
“Soda, not beer,” Hendo said.
“I’ll show him,” Rooster promised as Jester made a beeline for the clubhouse.
“You guys have probably heard a lot a different shit about this club over the years,” I said addressing the group of perspective recruits.
“I’m sure some of it’s true and some of it is absolute dog shit.
Regardless, I’m gonna set you straight, right off the bat.
This is my club and my number one priority is to keep it as safe as possible at all times.
Ask any member, and he’ll tell you exactly the same thing.
This club is an extension of our own families and there’s not a member who wouldn’t lay his life on the line for his brothers or his brothers’ families.
To patch into the Dogs of Fire, you’ll have to prove yourself in every way possible. ”
“These guys just want to ride and feed their families,” Hendo said, to nods all around.
“That might be true, but right now all my guys are gonna see are Spiders, so we’re gonna have to change that as quickly as possible before you even put on a prospect cut.”
“How to you propose we do that?” Hendo asked.
“I’m glad you asked.” I grinned like a fucking loon. “Archer here has a buddy who’s also prospectin’.” I nodded toward Booker’s kid who stepped forward with his friend, Dennis.
For the next three hours, my brothers put the ex-Spiders through their paces and found that they were all solid guys, especially Hendo and his kid.
I knew this war had been won, but I also knew enough to keep my eyes and ears open just in case.
“Right, brothers, come on inside and meet our women. We’ve got food and beer, along with sodas for the kids. If you have families, they’re welcome to join and stay overnight to get to know the club.”
I led everyone inside where Maisie and several of the other women had a spread laid out rivaling Martha Stewart.
I pulled her into my arms. “This looks amazing, Sunshine.”
She kissed me gently, tugging on my beard. “Thanks, love. Wish we were at the other place, but we made do.”
I laughed. “You’ve quickly become spoiled.”
“We could upgrade this kitchen, you know.”
“You wanna get into a construction project so soon after the other one was just finished?”
She gave me a sassy little shrug. “Maybe?”
I laughed. “Come and meet the new crew.”
As I introduced her to everyone, I kept her close, vowing I’d never let anyone or anything come between us again. She was my everything and I’d never let her forget it.